Blowing-engine.



AISATENTED MAR.Y31, 1908.

P. H. KANE.

1 BLOWING ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED 313.14, 1907.

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'110. 883,316. PATENTED 111111.31, 1908.

' 11. H. KANE.

l BLOWING `ENGINE.-

APPLIGATION FILED 1211.14, 1907.

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221.25%?. w's'f @MM @lgn-,- f @WM PATRICK II. KANE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

BLOWING-ENGINE Application filed February 14, 1907.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 31, 1908.

Serial No. 357,293.

To allhwhom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, PATRICK H. KANE, a

j citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Imrovement in Blowing-Engines, of which the ollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved valve and valve gear designed more especially for blowing engines or air com ressors such as are used in connection with b ast 'furnaces, and more particularly to engines of this type in which reciprocating tubular valves are employed.

The object 'of my invention is the provision of a simple and eflicient actuating mechanism for the valves.

In the accompanying drawings consisting of 2 sheets: Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section of' a blowing engine embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional top plan view thereof, the plane of the sectional part being in line 2--2, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section in line 3 8, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

A indicates the cylinder of the engine containing the piston A1. The piston rods a, are located on opposite sides of the center of the piston, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, and are actuated by a steam engine orother suitable motor not shown.

In the upper head is arranged an inlet valve B and an outlet valve B1, and the lower head contains corresponding inlet and outlet valves B2, B3. The inlet valves are preferably arranged in line with each other and on one side of the aXis of the cylinder, while the outlet valves are arranged in similar opposing relation on the opposite side of said axis, as shown. These 'four valves are identical in construction and a description of one, say the valve B, will therefore apply to all. The valve is open at both ends and snugly fitted in the contracted cylindrical outer portion c of a valve case or chamber C open at both ends and suitably secured in an opening of the adjacent cylinder-head. In the preferred construction shown in the drawings, the contracted portion of the valve case has a projecting flange c1 which is bolted to the outer side of the cylinder head, while the enlarged inner portion c2 of the valve case is preferably conical and provided with a projecting flange c3 which bears against a shoulder c4 in the opening of the cylinder head. Projecting inwardly from this enlarged portion is an annular series of equidistant radial ribs d eX- tending lengthwise 0f the case and having their inner edges arranged flush with the bore of the contracted portion c of the case, so that the ribs and said contracted portion together form a guide or cage for the valve. These ribs extend to the inner end of the valve case where they are joined to an imperforate head D preferably cast integral therewith and made of considerably smaller diameter than the inner end of the valve case to leave a space between said parts forthe passage of the air. When the valve is in its open position, as shown in connection with the lower inlet valve B2, it wholly uncovers the ports or passages d1 between the radial ribs d, permitting the outer air to enter the cylinder through the hollow valve and said ports. When said inlet valve is in its lowest, or innermost position, as shown in connection with the upper inlet valve B, its inner end is closed by the head D, thus covering the ports d1 and preventing the entrance of the outer air into the cylinder through said valve.

To form a tight joint between the valve case and the valve, the former may be provided in the bore of its contracted portion with an annular groove containing a suitable packing e, and in order to form a similar joint between the valve and the head D, the latter is provided with an annular groove f which receives the inner end of the valve, and the valve is provided in its outer side with a circumferential groove containing a packingfl.

G, G1 are the discharge conduits or branches connecting the cases C of the outlet valves B1, B3 with the main conduit G2 which leads to the reservoir, not shown.

The several valves may be operated by any suitable valve mechanism but I prefer to employ the improved valve gear shown in the drawing, which is constructed as follows: Above the upper valves B, B1, respectively, are arranged a pair of transverse rock shafts H, H1 journaled in bearings carried by the upper cylinder-head, while below the lower valves B2, B3 are arranged a pair of similar shafts I, I1 supported in bearings carried by the lower cylinder-head. The two upper shafts are caused to rock in unison by rock arms 7L, h1 secured thereto and connected by a rod h2, and the two lower shafts I, Il are likewise connected by rock arms i, il and a rod i2. The upper valves B, B1 are reciprocated from the corresponding rock shafts H, H1 by rock arms h3, 7L* and links h5, while the lower valves are likewise actuated from the lower shafts l, l1 by rock arms i3, i4 and links i5. In the construction shown in the drawings, the links h5 and i5 are pivoted to hubs'yl arranged centrally in the tubular valves and connected with the latter by webs jl. The upper and lower shafts H, I are actuated from the main shaft of the steam engine or motor by any suitable means, the mechanism shown in the drawings consisting of rock arms lr, k1 secured to said shafts and connected by a link k2 and a rod 7c3 which connects the lower arm k1 with an actuating member on the engine shaft, not shown.

The operation of the blowing engine is as follows: When the piston is in its middle position, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. l, the upper inlet valve and the lower outlet valve are fully closed, and the upper outlet valve and the lower inlet valve are fully open. As the piston moves upward from this position, it forces air through the open ports d1 of the upper outlet valve-case and the corresponding valve BL into the reservoir. At the same time, it draws air into the cylinder on its lower side through the lower .inlet valve B2 and the ports all of the corresponding Valve case. As the piston approaches the upper end of its stroke, the upper outlet valve gradually closes and by the time the piston reaches the upper end of its stroke, said outlet valve has been fully closed, and during this same movement of the piston, the lower inlet valve has also been fully closed. On the return or downward stroke of the piston, the upper inlet valve begins to open to admit air above the piston and the lower outlet valve begins to open to discharge the air below the piston, the upper inlet valve and the lower outlet valve being wide open by the time the piston reaches its midposition. As the piston approaches the end of its downward stroke, the upper inlet valve and the lower outlet valve are gradually closed and by the time the piston reaches the end of said stroke, both of said valves are fully closed.

In order to obtain the proper action of the valves, each inlet valve must open quickly just as the piston recedes from it, to obtain an ample air supply, and when said valve is closed during the opposite stroke of the piston, it should remainclosed until the piston fully completes that stroke, in order to compress the air to the necessary degree. Each outlet valve must move inwardly or toward its closed position rapidly enough to be fully closed by the time the piston reaches the end of its stroke in moving toward said valve, and must remain closed during the entire opposite or receding stroke of the piston. To effect this action of the valves, the actuating rock arm h3 of the upper inlet valve B,

for example, is arranged to assume a position on the underside of the shaft H when said valve is closed, as shown in Fig. 1, so that in this position of the valve said rock arm moves across the dead center. The inlet valve is by this arrangement slightly reciprocated while in its closed position but not enough to open it, the groove f in the head D which receives the inner end of the inlet valve being of sufficient depth to permit of this idle motion of the valve without opening it. The actuating arm h4 of the upper outlet valve B1 at the same end of the cylinder is nearly horizontalin the wide-open position of said valve, the arm thus being in the most favorable position for effectively and rapidly moving said valve downwardly to its closed position at the same time that the rock arm h3 of the companion inlet valve B is moving idly across the dead' center. When'the shafts H, H1 are rocked in the opposite direction, the arm h3 moves through the effective part of its arc or stroke while the arm h4 moves through the idle part of its stroke, opening the upper inlet valve ra idly and keeping the upper outlet valve c osed during the entire downward stroke of the piston. The same actions take place with iiferBence to the lower inlet and outlet valves As shown in Figs. l and 2, the rock shafts H, H1 I, I1 are offset or arranged out of alinement with the axes or pivots of the corresponding inlet and outlet valves. By this arrangement, the valve rods or links i5 and 71,5 exert a nearly straight thrust and pull upon the valves and side thrust or strain upon the 'valves is reduced to a minimum, thus producing a smoother action of the valves than would be obtained if said shafts were arranged in line with the valve pivots.

It will be observed that the valves and their guides or cases do not extend into the body of the cylinder but terminate at or near the inner edges of the cylinder heads, so that they are seated wholly within vthese heads. rThis construction while facilitating the construction and assemblage of the parts, avoids obstructing the interior of the air cylinder and reducing its capacity, which is the case when the valves or their guides, or both, are extended into the body of the cylinder through the piston.

I claim as my invention In a blowing engine, the combination of a cylinder, an inlet valve and an outlet valve arranged in each head of the cylinder, rock shafts arranged opposite the respective valves and each having an actuating arm connected with the corresponding valve,

and means for operatively connecting the position thereof, substantially as set forth. two shafts at the same end of the cylinder, Witness my hand this 9th day of Februthe actuating arms of the Valves at the sarne ary, 1907.

end of the cylinder being arranged to close PATRICK H. KANE. one of said Valves when the other is opened Witnesses:

and the arm of each valve being arranged to CARL F. GEYER,

move across the dead center in the closed E. M. GRAHAM. 

